Ben Stokes
Category:ArticlesCategory:Characters | aliases = | continuity = Dark Shadows | image = | notability = | type = | gender = | base of operations = Collinwood & The Old House Collinsport, Maine | known relatives = Carrie Stokes (granddaughter) Timothy Eliot Stokes (descendant) Hallie Stokes (descendant) | born = 1756 | died = 1840 | 1st appearance = Dark Shadows: 372 | final appearance = | actor = Thayer David }} Ben Stokes was a supporting character featured in the 1960s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. Played by actor Thayer David, he was introduced during the "1795 Flashback" storyline beginning with episode 372. The character was seen again in a re-visitation of the 1795 flashback (this time taking place in the year 1797) and appeared in episodes 661 through 666. He appeared in forty-five episodes of the series overall, but was referenced several times throughout the program's entire run. A parallel time variant of the Ben Stokes character was featured in episodes 1110-1119. Biography Ben Stokes was active during the latter half of the 18th century. It is known that he participated in the American Revolution, but it is unclear exactly what his involvement was. After the war, he was caught breaking into someone's home and was arrested. He was given a lengthy prison sentence, but his time in prison shortened when wealthy Maine business owner Joshua Collins brought him on as an indentured servant to serve out the duration of his prison sentence. Dark Shadows: 372Dark Shadows: 457 Ben Stokes began working at the Collins estate known as Collinwood in the town of Collinsport. Joshua took him on because of his size and strength, which made him ideal for menial labor. Ben's duties included maintaining the livery, chopping up firewood, taking care of the grounds and general household maintenance. Joshua Collins maintained a strict rule which forbade Ben from interacting with the female members of the household who would regard him as off-putting or even frightening. In 1795, Ben was stoking the fires in the drawing room at the estate when he encountered Miss Victoria Winters. Ben did not realize at the time that Vickie was actually from the future year of 1967. Vickie was quite taken aback upon her first encounter with Stokes, recalling how much he resembled a man from her own era named Matthew Morgan - a man who had abducted Vickie and kept her tied up inside of a secret room in the still-existing Collins mansion. Because of this, Vickie was initially frightened by Ben. Stokes tried to calm her down, but when Joshua saw him interacting with Miss Winters, he punished him by taking away a promised holiday. Dark Shadows: 372 Although Ben was the servant of Joshua Collins, he mostly attended to the needs of Joshua's son, Barnabas Collins. Barnabas was always very kind to Stokes - much more so than the abrasive Joshua, and Stokes felt a strong loyalty towards him. Ben unwittingly became the pawn of the witch Ang lique, who sought to win Barnabas' heart - no matter what it took. Notes & Trivia * * Like most actors on the series, Thayer David played numerous roles on the show. His first character on the show was that of Matthew Morgan who, according to Victoria Winters, bore a strong resemblance to Ben Stokes. Thayer David also played Ben Stokes' 20th century descendant, Timothy Eliot Stokes. Unlike the dirty and surly Ben Stokes, Timothy Stokes was a cultured, well-spoken and well-educated man. Thayer David also played Sandor Rakosi and Count Petofi in the "1897 Flashback" and Mordecai Grimes in the "1840 Flashback" storyline. * Ben Stokes' counterpart in the 1991 Dark Shadows revival series was named Ben Loomis and he was an ancestor of the modern-day character Willie Loomis. Both Ben and Willie were played by actor Jim Fyfe. One notable difference between Ben Stokes and Ben Loomis is that Loomis wore an eye patch. See also External Links * * * References ---- Category:1756 character births Category:1840 character deaths Category:Dark Shadows: 1795 Flashback/Characters Category:Dark Shadows: 1840 Flashback/Characters Category:Characters who commit suicide Category:Characters who have their throats slit Category:Ygors